The Marlies rebounded with an important 4-3 win yesterday against Rochester to move them within two points of 8th with two games in hand on the two teams immediately ahead of them (Hamilton and Milwaukee).
Connor Brown's goal and three assists vaulted him into first in the rookie scoring race with 55 points in 66 games, while William Nylander added a goal and an assist (now has 19 in 27). Ryan Rupert also scored and is chugging along with a quietly solid clip of 25 points in 48 games in his rookie AHL season. Rupert and Brown share the team lead in plus-minus...

The Leafs have re-acquired defenceman TJ Brennan in exchange for forward Spencer Abbott.
https://twitter.com/alexfan590/status/571059990909345793
The Leafs re-signed Abbott, a former free agent signing out of college, while letting Brennan go last July, and have evidently decided to reverse their decision with this trade.. After an All-Star AHL season with 69 points in 66 games (and 11 more points in 11 playoff games), a season which included his first NHL game as a callup, Abbott took a considerable step back this season and, turning 27 in a few months, doesn’t appear to have a future at the highest level. Reasonably skilled but undersized and not particularly...

While he may not have entered Toronto in a fire-dress whilst riding a mechanical tiger, William Nylander is, nonetheless, turning a lot of heads.
Nylander has a pair of points in his first four AHL games and has been getting a lot of good press. The concern with Nylander was how he would adjust to the North American game, playing on small ice as a smaller, skilled forward. His first goal, surprisingly, was scored with Nylander going hard to the net to chase down a rebound, lifting the defenseman's stick as he blew past him for the backhanded goal.
Nylander has...

The Toronto Maple Leafs have promoted Gord Dineen to Head Coach of the Toronto Marlies. Along with the appointment of Dineen, Derek King has been promoted to associate coach.
David Nonis, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, announced Tuesday that Gord Dineen has been named head coach of the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies. Dineen becomes the fifth head coach in Marlies franchise history. Along with the appointment of Dineen, Derek King has been promoted to associate coach.
Dineen, 51, had previously served as an assistant coach with the Marlies for the past five seasons. Over that span, Dineen...

A great run comes to an end.
Game Highlights: Texas Stars 6 vs. Toronto Marlies 2
Steve Spott Post Game Press Conference
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The Toronto Marlies get set to take on the Texas Stars at 8:30 p.m.
For a team with anywhere from 12-15 entry level contracts making up the team roster, many had the young Toronto Marlies' season labeled as one that would be a learning year and one without much hope for playoff success. Here are the Marlies looking down a Game 7 in the Western Conference finals and in with a shot to go to the Calder Cup Finals—their 2nd in...

It was a must win for the Toronto Marlies, and the urgency and desperation was visible from puck drop.
A much-needed tone-setting shift off the opening faceoff by Trevor Smith, Carter Ashton and Sam Carrick got the ball rolling for the Marlies in this one, as a hard forecheck followed by a cycle and penalty draw led to the first of three consecutive Spencer Abbott powerplay goals.
On the ensuing powerplay, Abbott, stationed on the point, wristed one past Nilstorp with Josh Leivo playing screen, marking the 11th straight playoff game in which the Marlies have opened the scoring and Abbott's...

“Attack” and “desperation” were Steve Spott’s buzzwords last night, directed toward the Marlie forward group in particular, after the Marlies fell behind in a series for the first time in these playoffs following a 3-2 defeat to Texas in Game 3.
“Our 12 forwards have not found the level of desperation their 12 forwards have.”
“We don’t have enough forwards onboard right now getting the job done with puck possession and offensive zone time. We need more offensive zone time from our forwards.”
“We cannot turn over pucks in the neutral zone. We have to get pucks deep and hunt people down...

The Toronto Marlies are looking to get back to playing better hockey after two games in which they were soundly outshot and outplayed, but relied on opportunistic goal scoring and fantastic goaltending from Drew MacIntyre.
In Games 1 and 2, the Marlies were pulled away from playing their game and spent a lot of time in between the dots loosely defending the neutral zone and home plate areas, as opposed to forcing battles to the boards, where they excel. Getting back to basic hockey and executing simple plays with better accuracy; including making sure there is ample support for the...

TORONTO - After a big 5-1 win on Friday against the Texas Stars, the Toronto Marlies knew they had to improve on their 50-shots-against performance in game #2 on Monday night or else risk dropping their first game of the 2014 post season.
The first period started well for Toronto. After a Texas turnover inside the Marlies blueline in a 4-on-4 situation, Jerry D'Amigo picked up the puck and went barrelling down the ice and snapped a quick wrist shot over the glove of Christopher Nilstorp for his fourth of the post-season and a 1-0 Marlie lead.
The first period in...

The Toronto Marlies rode Drew MacIntyre and some opportunistic scoring to a 1-0 series lead in the Western Conference Final opener on Friday. It was a big win to grab no matter how perfectly it was executed, as the Stars hadn't lost at home in the playoffs before the Marlies' handed them a somewhat deceiving 5-1 defeat.
Playing more of their north-south game through neutral ice and generating offensive zone time on the cycle at even strength will have been a focus for Steve Spott's team going into game two.
"There wasn't a whole lot to like in terms of structure. We...

Drew’s the Glue: Heavily out-shot but not out-done, Marlies fly high in Texas
TORONTO - On Friday night, the Toronto Marlies began their series with against the West’s best Texas Stars. The Stars and Marlies split the season series at 2-2 this season and all four games were great match ups. The Marlies entered Friday’s game with an impressive 7-0 record in the post-season, haven’t trailed for a second in those 7 games, and were looking to continue those impressive streaks.
In the first period, Texas put pressure on fast and furious early but it was the Marlies who would again find...

TORONTO - On Friday night, the Toronto Marlies will continue their quest for the 2014 Calder Cup as they drop the puck in game #1 of the Western Conference Final against the Texas Stars (8:30 p.m. EST start in Texas). The Marlies are an impressive 7-0 in the playoffs heading into Friday's matchup, but things are about to get serious.
While the Milwaukee Admirals and the Chicago Wolves weren't supposed to be 'easy' opponents, the Marlies made quick work of both. Toronto swept Milwaukee in three games and the Wolves in four, but it would be a shock if the...

Former Bruins GM Harry Sinden had a great quote on being a GM in the book Behind the Moves:
“I think the bottom line is pretty simple: who can play and who can’t play. That’s the bottom line. That is the fundamental job of the GM. Most GMs, if they didn’t have to make that call, could do it, because administratively, it’s . There is a little more involvement because you have to play how you’re going to filed the team, make such things as a salary cap work, but that’s just mechanics. You read the CBA once and...

The Toronto Marlies will face the Western Conference regular season champions Texas Stars in round 3 of the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs.
Division champs and winners of seven straight to start the playoffs, the Marlies have already surpassed expectations. Can they keep it rolling en route to a Western Conference championship?

Back and forth game leaves Wolves grasping for their playoff lives
TORONTO - On Wednesday night, the Toronto Marlies returned home for just their second home playoff game this post-season, game #3 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals versus the Chicago Wolves. Toronto only played one home game in the opening round, defeating the Milwaukee Admirals to complete the three-game sweep. The Marlies have been dominant in the first two games of the series, taking 3-0 leads in the first period of both games one & two. On Wednesday, the Marlies were looking to move one step closer to reaching the Western...

Going home on a high note — Marlies hold off late Wolves surge, head home with 2-0 series lead
TORONTO - On Saturday night the Toronto Marlies looked to once again make quick work of the Chicago Wolves in game #2 of the Western Conference Semi Final. Toronto defeated the Wolves by a score of 5-2 in the opening matchup on Friday night and also welcomed back Peter Holland and Spencer Abbott to the lineup. Abbott recorded two points (2A) while Holland chipped in with three points (1G 2A).
In the first period the Marlies got on the board quick....